Burner for alcohol-lamps.



A.H. s. SWAN. BURNER FOR ALCOHOL LAMPS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 26, 1910.

Patented Oct. 11, 1910.

4 2 o 1w 1, l m

THE NORRIS PETERS ca, WASHINGTON, n.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED H. S. SWAN, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIG-N OR TO ROCHESTER STAMPING COMPANY, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

BURNER FOR ALCOHOL-LAMPS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 11, 1910.

Application filed April 26, 1910. Serial No. 557,632.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED II. S. SWAN, of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Burners for Alcohol-Lamps; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and eXact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the specification, and to the reference numerals marked thereon.

My invention relates to burners for gas lamps adapted to generate the gas by the vaporizing of a volatile oil, and it has for its object to provide a device of this character comprising generally a main burner and a supplemental burner, the latter operating to apply the required amount of heat to the generating chamber to effect the vaporizing of the oil therein, said chamber supplying the gas to both of said burners, the flow of which is controlled by an improved form of regulating valve also forming a part of my present invention.

To these and other ends the invention consists in certain improvements and combinations of parts all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a lamp provided with a burner constructed in accordance with my invention, the burner and valve being shown in cross section, the latter being illustrated in open position. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail view of the valve showing the latter closed.

Similar reference numerals in the several figures indicate similar parts.

In illustrating my present invention I have shown the burner arranged to cooperate with the wick tube 1 of a lamp, comprising a base or font 2, said tube being closed at its upper end as indicated at 3, and provided with an absorbent wick 4 communicating with the bottom of the font. The upper end of the wick tube 1 constitutes a generating chamber and supported at one side thereof at a point located at a suitable distance below its upper end is a valve casing 5 having a central perforation 6 communicating with the interior of the tube. Surrounding the latter is a hollow ring 7 preferably rigidly connected to the tube at its inner edge and connected with the aperture in the valve casing by a passage 8. This ring is provided in its upper surface with a plurality of perforations forming the outlet orifices of a series of small jets or The ring 10 is supported by its attachment to the valve casing and small bridge pieces 1O located between its inner edge and the periphery of the ring 7. The main burner indicated by 12 consists of a circular ring provided in its upper edge with gas orifices 18 and supported upon feed pipes or tubes 14 connected at various points with the ring 10. The main burner surrounds the upper end of the wick tube and its upper surface is preferably located slightly above the end 3 of the tube and is spaced therefrom a sufficient distance so that the heat rising from the flames of the burner does not have any effective action upon the wick tube, or contribute to the generation of gas therein, the volatilizing of the oil in the tube when the burner is in operation being due entirely to the pilot lights or flames of the supplementary burner 7.

In a burner of this character, especially when it is employed for burning gas generated by the vaporizing of alcohol, the intensity of the flame of the main burner can be regulated by increasing or decreasing the heat applied to the generating chamber. By regulating the size of the pilot light flames, the generation of the gas can be controlled without attempting to regulate the area of the passages leading to the main burner, permitting the main burner to be always in communication with the generating chamber. A particular advantage is thus obtained, as this construction provides an escape for the gas through the burner itself, preventing a back pressure from being formed in the generating chamber which would otherwise force the gas downwardly through the wick tube into the font. Such action of the "gas will cause the oil in the font to become heated and generate an excess of gas which will seek an outlet through other parts of the lamp, adding greatly to the danger of its operation. In order to obviate this disadvantage, and also to provide a burner of simple construction, I have devised a simple and novel construction of regulating valve comprising the hollow casing 5 and the valve head 15 movable longitudinally therein and adjustable by means of the stem 16 threaded in the collar 17 which also serves as a compression member for the packing or gland 18. The interior of the valve casing at its inner end is made with a sloping or conical wall 19, the inner and outer ends of which extend at opposite sides of the passage 8, so that the latter may be closed by the conical end 20 of the valve head, when the latter is adjusted inwardly. The valve casing 5 is also provided with an annular chamber 21, in communication with the passage 11, the inner and outer edges of which are determined by the shoulders 22 and 23. The valve head is provided with a central aperture 24 the inner end of which opens within the valve seat and the outer end thereof extending laterally, as indicated at 25, and

leading into the annular chamber 21, the

shoulders 22 and 23 of the latter being so positioned that a free passage of the gas is always provided under all conditions of adjustment of the valve head.

In the operation of the burner constructed as described, the generation of the gas in the first instance is commenced by applying a torch or some other source of heat to the wick tube 1, when the valve head 15 will be retracted slightly to permit the passage of the gas from the interior of the tube through the perforation 6 and the passage 8 into the ring 7 from which it will be expelled through the pilot light orifices 7 The flames of the supplemental burner thus 7 formed may be controlled by the adjustment ofthe valve head 15, and they may be regulated in intensity so as to produce only a sufiicient amount of gas to maintain these flames or to generate a suiiicient amount of gas to supply the main burner 12, in which event the gas passes outwardly through the conduit 24 into the chamber 21 and thence by passage 11 into the ring 10, from which it is distributed from the various feed pipes 14 to the burner 12.

' The burner constructed with the parts arranged as shown and described possesses the advantage in that when it is desired to extinguish the flame of the main burner, this is accomplished by gradually reducing the pressure of the gas in the generating chamber by controlling the supplemental burner flames, or pilot lights, without choking oil the passages leading to the main burner. The flames of the latter will continue to burnfor a brief period until the excess gas generated, while the wick tube is in a highly heated condition, is exhausted, but said flame will constantly diminish as said chamber cools, until finally the pressure of the gas is lessened to such an extent that the flames of-the main burner are extinguished and the gas pressure is only suflicient to support the pilot lights. The latter may be extinguished at any time by the adjustment of the valve head. It is preferable to allow the gas to burn itself out, as described above, than to extinguish it by other means, because a certain amount of vapor will be generated as long as heat is applied to the tube 1, or while it retains its heat and unless the main burner flame is allowed to continue and to diminish gradually the noxious fumes must pass off into the atmosphere.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a vapor lamp, the combination with a generating chamber, a supplemental burner having flame orifices in proximity to said chamber, and a main burner, of a valve casing having passages affording communication between the generating chamber and said burners and a valve head adjustable therein to vary the inlet of gas in the passage leading to the supplemental burner and having a channel therein leading to the passage of the main burner.

2. In a vapor lamp, the combination with a generating chamber, a main burner and a supplemental burner adapted to heat said chamber, of a valve casing having a central )erforation communicating with the chamber and separate passages leading from said perforation to each burner, and avalve head having a channel forming a continuously open communication between the chamber and main burner passage, said head adjustably cooperating with the supplemental burner passage to vary the volume of gas passing therethrough.

8. 'In a vapor lamp, the combination with a wick tube, a chamber surrounding the latter having orifices arranged in proximity to said tube, a second chamber surrounding the first chamber, a main burner and feed tubes leading from said second chamber to said burner, of a valve casing connected to the tube having an aperture communicating with the interior of said tube and provided with passages connecting the aperture with each chamber, and an adjustable valve head in the casing provided with a channel, said head adjustably controlling the inlet of gas to the first chamber and maintaining in its different positions of adjustment a free exit for gas from the wick tube to the second chamber.

4. A valve for vapor burners comprising a hollow casing having a valve seat at its inner end and provided with two outlet passages one located in the seat and the other in rear of said seat, a valve head adjustable longitudinally in the casing and cooperating with the seat to close one of the passages,

said head being provided with a longitudinal perforation opening into the casing at its forward end within the seat and at its rear end communicating with the other passage.

5. A valve for vapor burners comprising a hollow casing having two passages leading outwardly from its interior and an adjustable valve head in the casing cooperating with one passage to open and close it said head being provided with an aperture cooperating with the other passage to provide a free exit from the casing therethrough in all positions of adjustment of said head.

6. In a valve for vapor burners, the combination with a tubular casing having a cylindrical base at its outer end and a conical valve seat at its inner end and rovided with a passage leading outwardly trom one side of the valve seat and a second passage leading from the cylindrical portion, of an adjustable valve head fitting the casing having a conical end cooperating with the seat and provided with a channel opening at one end within the valve seat and at the other end into communication with the second passage.

ALFRED H. S. SWAN.

Witnesses:

' G. WILLARD RICH,

FLUENGE E. FRANOK. 

